Kids should be taught more than how to make money in school. They should learn how to live without making money in school. They should learn how to thrive without money.
I’m reading an astrology book, learning about the fourth dimension and all I can think about is why do teachers not have the opportunity to teach this stuff in school? If only they had told me that math can literally apply to everything! That it would be useful for imagining the 4th dimension, or for understanding fractals – the building blocks of life! If someone had said to me “Mathematics is also the language of the universe,” I would have been much more interested as an angry pubescent teenager. What does that mean? The language of the universe!? How intriguing.
“You mean there’s more to life than my new acne issues and my inability to control my emotions!?! TEACH ME MORE MATH!” I would have said. Maybe.
Mopping is when you look at the earth, and you think “My weak human feet can’t make it across this hard and rocky, or grassy, or snowy, or sandy surface! And it’s cold too. The earth is cold on my little toes. I’ll have to put some kind of smooth surface on top.”
That’s the floor.
Then what you do is you take a big stick of metal, or wood, and you attach a bunch of really thick and really heavy strings to the end. Then you spray some chemicals onto the floor. These are potentially environmentally NOT friendly chemicals. Potentially. You do this in a partially enclosed building: your home. You then proceed to rub the really thick and really heavy strings into the chemicals. You do this because the earth has, somehow(!), gotten into your home and onto your floor(!).
That’s what mopping is.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just not put the floor down in the first place? Eventually your feet will get used to the roughness and the cold. That’s why shoes were made. Plus, you can totally make a wicked cool, and yet toasty warm enclosure on top of a piece of earth sans floor.
We are bizarre creatures. We wholeheartedly love our own floors though. That’s something we’ve got going for us.
On another note, I have an idea about how to stop all the stuff you don’t like about the world.
Step 1: think of something you don’t like.
Step 2: think of a way to change it.
Step 3: follow through.
ex. I think it’s shitty that people don’t eat organic food. Then I should build a garden for them. They probably can’t afford to pay $5.00 for eggs
ex. I think that the streets are boring, and ugly and grey. Then I should paint them! Tons of amazing humans get away with it all the time. It’s bad ass. If they can do it, I can do it too!
ex. I don’t like violence. I will go give someone a hug, or look a stranger in the eye. It will feel so nice to stop staring at feet!
ex. I don’t like floors. Then I won’t buy a house? Or build I’ll build my own cool enclosure sans floor(!). (Maybe get a tent… just in case you can’t build a very good enclosure on your own just yet.)
It seems as soon as you realize you can change one thing, you realize you can change another.
And things tend to spiral.
Good luck moving out of your houses my university friends! Don’t strain your already slightly-hunched-from-homework backs whilst mopping your floors for your landlords. Your lords of the pieces of earth we shelter ourselves thusly upon.
On this thought, I bid you adieu lords, ladies, dukes, duchesses and rent payers all the same.
We are moving forward as a human race. We see change in ourselves and within others, it’s undeniable. What we are being offered through our current political system is not sufficient to hear all the changes than can, and should be made. Instead, this current self-perpetuating system is bringing out the worst in us, greed and thoughtlessness. We are driven by the desire for money, money that has lost any true value. We have the power to decide the reality we live in. We can, through true democracy, come together as Canadians and change fundamental issues in the way we live. We can live in a country without genocide of Aboriginal people, without constant sexual harassment, without homelessness, without the steady destruction of our land. Of course we can! How is it possible that we aren’t doing that right now? This generation has technology that no other generation before us has ever had. We have the ability to communicate freely and easily with each other from one side of the country to the other.
This is why I am running for Prime Minister of Canada.
I am running as a catalyst for change, as a representative of the people who can see that this change is unavoidable. I am running as an organizer of thought for the people who live in Canada, because we all have lovely, and extraordinarily brilliant ideas of what can bring joy to our little section of the world. I’m running with the knowledge that those things can come to fruition. I am running as a working class citizen, I’m applying for a job to work for people to bring people together and to problem solve EXTREMELY relevant issues that, without change, will bring us to our demise.
The system that we’re living in today, consciously or not, is separating us as Canadians. It’s creating a working class who are in essence slaves to a capitalist dogma, of which fewer and fewer of us support in any way but are still forced to live in. I can see the system failing, and the desperation to hold on to something that should be released. I am grateful to have grown up with freedom of speech, and that is being taken away from us. The Conservative Party of Canada has put a halt to amazingly innovative scientific advancements because these advancements do not suit their own desires to turn Canada into an energy power house. They have silenced movements and activists that should be heard loud and clear, at least so that we can decide whether or not we want to support them. They have threatened to take away our rights, fear mongering with the C-51 bill. These are actions taken by fascist governments. That is why today is the day to stand up, be heard, and change what we know is not working for our best interest. It has become them versus us. The reality is that we are one unified group of people, and we simply should be operating as such.
I lack confidence that any party could bring about the change that we are in dire need of without changing the system that they are working within. So, I am running outside of the political system we have now, against the political system that we have now. I’m running for us. I’m running so that you’ll run for change too. So that we’ll think about the changes that need to be made, so that we’ll listen to the people that have been screaming to be heard but are not, so that we can stand together and work together to create a place that is better than it is today.
And again, yes, I am serious.
I’ve written out a platform. This encompassed my view of the world. I’m presenting it to you as an example of things that can be thought about, and things that can change. These changes are radical, but I truly believe in them. They are practical, they are new, and they are creative. These ideas for change show you who I am as a person. You don’t have to agree with all of them. I’m not running for Prime Minister so that I can tell you what should and should not happen. I’m running so that you can open your mind to the wonderful possibilities that are being withheld from us by today’s current political structure.
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THINGS TO CHANGE
Budget –
Budget cuts are happening all across Canada. This is how I plan to address the problem; Prime Minister, and all MP’s and other governmental positions will receive minimum wage. If minimum wage is acceptable for other people living in Canada it is acceptable for everyone in Canada. Simple.
Money –
Money is a piece of paper that loses real value more and more every day. Let’s stop pretending we want money. What we want is to be happy and to live easily, and support our families in a healthy environment. We are being forced to believe we need money to survive. There are groups of people that work with a bartering system. It is not impossible to go back to this. It would be a difficult, huge change but not an impossible one. When you’ve worked your whole life for money it’s hard to imagine giving that up. But there is a way that all people can be happy. We can wean ourselves into a new system. There is a huge break in our people there are the very few that have the money who control us, the working class who are slaves to money, and there are people who have no money at all. How do we get rid of money? It has become it’s own entity. If we to raise minimum wage so that those who are able to control through money cannot afford to control through money. If you can’t get rid of money, all you have to do is even out the ability to survive comfortably.
Politics for the people –
A democracy means that the majority of people are represented and those are the things that pass through as policy. Therefore, if the majority of Canadians don’t want to pass anti-terrorism laws, or if the majority of Canadians want LGBTQ clubs to have support in schools those are the things that MUST happen. It is irrelevant whether or not the majority of people sitting in a little room in Ottawa want it or not. What this means is that we need more voting, more often, in a more accessible way. If Canadians had been offered the chance by the current government to re-elect before October 15, 2015 I think there may have been a good chance that would have happened. However, lower-class citizens are unable to vote because they don’t have the paperwork to be allowed into the secret voting stations, and middle class people are too busy working for money in order to survive to want to vote. This leaves the upper class with free time to research what they’re voting for, and free time to stand in line at the less than convenient voting stations. No wonder we feel like our vote doesn’t matter. In order to vote this new system in, we need the people to take charge and vote. Vote with your finger print, we all have one. If you aren’t allowed to vote because you’re not working under the current system, vote on the sidewalks outside the building. If the people can come together we can count these votes, people will see these votes and see the support we can give one another to make a difference.
Police, and law –
The reality of the situation though is that we are a self-regulating society, with some instability. Humans are not perfect. But, as “law abiding citizens” we’re afraid to go to jail, we’re afraid to be caught doing something we’re not supposed to be doing. This is outwardly showing you the success of fear mongering. We need to have more of an input on what is and is not illegal and what the repercussions of those things are.
Environment –
Scientists must be supported, and given opportunity to research the best ways to go about things that are as vitally important as the environment. The native people to this land know how to take care of this land, and we have never listened to them. Not once since colonialism. It’s time to change that fact. If the native people of the land, and teams of scientists, tell us that putting a pipeline through coastal land will be detrimental to the environment, we need to acknowledge that they are right. As of now, when the government is told these things they do their best to silence these people in order to suit their own selfish desires. That is a form of genocide. The environment is something that needs to be taken care of by ALL people, under the advice and encouragement of people who know what they’re talking about. We think it’s hard to deal with environmental issues, but we just need to slow down and respect the land. To see that we are the land, instead of imagining that we’re living on the land. We have the ability to feed and take care of ourselves in a sustainable way without relying on anything outside our back yards. The way this system currently works, we are unable to do so because we are slaving away for money, but all of these issues can and should be resolved.
Oil –
Grow up, stop being greedy and stop trying to impress your southern friends. When you wanted ice cream as a kid you didn’t always get it. You got it when you were being good, and when you deserved it, and when you could afford to get it. Right now, we’re stealing oil from the ground. We will not be a power house anymore if we stop drilling as often and as thoughtlessly as we do now, but we do NOT HAVE to be a power house. This does not affect just Canada, this change affects the world but maybe it’s time for that big of a change. These jobs can be replaced with jobs counting votes, and since minimum wage will be of the same as the highest paying jobs, you will not have to worry about losing out on the money you make as a worker of the oil industry.
Foreign Affairs –
There are other countries that live in ways that are more similar to what I’m saying than what we’re currently living in. Look at Sweden, where people are represented by their vote. Costa Rica has been living with 100% renewable energy for the entire year. In France people are paid and MUST take a vacation because they realize that humans need to rest, and play in order to thrive. There are countries that realize that education is a necessity to a healthy culture. Canada needs to catch up to these advances.
Changing the definition of people –
People, are homo sapiens. Every homo sapien looks different from all other homo sapiens, they each have different individual genitalia, they have different individual skin pigments, some have been around longer than others and thus have more or less wrinkles than others, each and every one is a different shape. Some homo sapiens like chocolate ice cream, some like vanilla better, some like both. That being said, no one homo sapien is an optimal homo sapien. No one homo sapien can say what is best for the homo sapien standing beside them. Therefore, a TRUE democracy runs when each homo sapien, or human, voices what they want and then the government counts up the votes and the majority of these people get what they want for a little while and then the government has the responsibility to ask again, repeat. It’s an ever changing process, determined by ever changing humans. Most specifically in this discussion I would like to bring up that children are, in fact, also homo sapiens. Creative, loving, and full of fresh ideas. Naïve, yes but if we don’t take advantage of their naivety as “grown-ups” we should be able to ask their opinion, and listen seriously to what they have to say as they are also living in Canada. Should our streets be paved of cotton candy? If the majority vote says yes, then yes they should be. That is how democracy works. This new system will stop over complicating that fact. It will also stop making excuses as to why one group of homo sapiens’ opinions (mostly those homo sapiens that work in a big building in Ottawa) are more valuable than the next.
Education –
Knowledge is power, and power is not rank. It’s ability to change, to think, to have input. Education should be free for people to involve themselves into. We want brilliant doctors, curious scientists, and artists to thrive so that we can always be moving forward. So that we can always be provoked to think, and see the world in ways we weren’t expecting because it’s healthy and fun.
Role of Prime Minister –
This is a job, not a prize. This is a job that should be hard work. If we were to keep the idea of “Prime Minister” we would pay this person as a working class citizen, minimum wage. However, with enough togetherness and passion we can run this country without a leader. We would still need MPs, in my mind, as teams of people working at solving problems such as budget, money, environment, oil but they would be working class people too and they would not be all white, 40-60 year old men. They would be scientists, and feminists, and LGBTQ people, and Aboriginal people, and passionate people who want to make a difference instead of people who want to be politicians so that they have a well-paying job to support their families, thus falling victim to the system as much as we are. Though they climbed to the top of the ladder. Let’s get rid of that ladder. These people working in government would work for the people, to do their best at making the dreams of living in a better place become a reality. This system relies on the people of Canada. The government needs to stop bossing people around, start listening, and it has to actively help people follow their passions in a sustainable, healthy way.
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I just want to be happy, live in the mountains, garden, make my art and love my family. I want to spend time with my friends discussing how beautiful the world is and I won’t sit down and let anyone take that away from me, or anyone else. The saddest part about this is that there are SO many people that have already had that taken away from them. Take a moment to think about the reality of that statement. I’m not okay with that. Are you? We’re all made out of the same substance, just because we don’t believe in the system of thought doesn’t mean we should be living in fear, or as victims to something that we have the ability to change.
I’m delightfully able to tell you that there are already people who believe in this system of thought. There are already people standing with me to fight this fight. It won’t work unless we all open our eyes to the ability we have to ask for what we want.
Vote for change, vote for yourself, vote for your power.
Please, send me your thoughts. Send me your help. I’m doing everything in my power to get the word out there and I would be forever grateful if you would do the same.
How can you help?
Share this post with EVERYONE that you know.
I will be touring Canada telling people the news: that we’re standing up for change! If you have advice or where to go I’d like to hear. I also will need a video camera, and hopefully someone who knows how to make videos so that I can post the voices of people that have not yet been heard out into the world. Social media is one of our greatest tools in moving forward with this as a group.
Start your own campaign, write your own platforms and start doing your research into the things you believe in. And SHARE those things with all of us.
Follow movements for change that have been in place for years, support them in every way that you can. I look forward to posting a way to easily see these things, so that more of us will know more about what they are working for.
Inspire, and love everyone around you. Become the change that you want to see.
I have fallen under the category of naive many times in my life. Recently I’m even learning that I might be considered gullible.
I understand how these things can be problematic. I know I shouldn’t trust everything I see, like the tiny hippopotamus commercials they used to show. Perhaps it’s a cultural thing, to trust people until they burn you or give you reasons not to be trusted. After all, we Canadians are supposed to be the polite loving kind.
When these two words have been applied to me, it’s always felt like a negative criticism. As in; I should harden up! How am I going to survive in today’s hard times if I don’t have a rough exterior? If I don’t protect myself from all those evils out there!? “People are going to take advantage of you!”.
Here’s the thing though, folks: I am actively, passionately naive.
Yes, that results in gullible tendencies, and yeah that sucks sometimes. If it’s true that we create our own realities, I don’t want to create mine through a filter of fear. I want to be bold, and run up to people in the grocery store and ask them their name and how old they are, and tell them a little something about myself. I want to create my reality through childish lenses.
The world is such a HUGE place when you’re a kid, and you are invincible. I understand that sometimes, you will get your hair pulled, or the group of people you thought were your friends will snicker and whisper to each other that you are a pumpkin head – just because you thought a mini ponytail on top of your strawberry blonde head would look nice! I KNOW THAT! I know that, first hand man. But that doesn’t stop you from doing it in the morning, from walking out the door with your sweet pumpkin head feeling like you’re on top of it all.
Imagine a world where grown ups are as brave as kids. Instead of getting your hair pulled, we get ourselves messed up in debt, or voting (or rather complaining instead of voting), or like… feeding yourself. When we grow up we get tricked into thinking that these things mean more than getting your hair pulled. But, money is a concept. A tool used to create a hierarchy of those who have it and those who don’t, giving false power to people who invest their time trying to obtain this strange piece of paper. No doubt pulling the hair of numerous people along the way. Figuratively of course. In reality we’re to scared to touch other humans to actually just pull someone’s hair if you’re mad at them, it would be much clearer to know who your friends and enemies are if we would just pull each other’s hair though.
The most naive people, in my opinion, fail to recognize these things scare us as adults. The things that keep us playing on playgrounds and talking to strangers are FALSE things. They’re symbolic. There is nothing physically different about the world when you’re a grown up. You’ve just have more time to be conditioned.
So, sue me! I’m going to assume the best in everyone, and love people and share my life with people, and wear my most favourite outfits even if they happen to involve a pumpkin head hair-dos, and MAYBE even pull some hair. I’m not afraid of the world, I’m not going to get old and crusty just because people think I need to be protected. I hope some of you might join me.
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